"Alien" Designer H.R. Giger Dead at 74

Artist HR Giger, who designed the monster and sets for Ridley Scott's 1979 horror film "Alien," has died from injuries he obtained after suffering a fall. He was 74 years old.

The son of a chemist, Giger studied architecture and industrial design in Zurich, and first experimented with ink drawing and polyester works before moving onto large freehand airbrush works showcasing nightmarish dreamscapes.

His work explored the relationship between the human body and the machine, and he created surrealist images of humans fused with industrial parts, a style he described as "biomechanical."

Giger was also known for his sculptures, paintings and furniture and many of these works are on display at his own museum in a medieval castle in Gruyeres, central Switzerland, which is run by his second wife Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger.

The artist won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects in 1980.

Always admired his art. I've always loved the Alien films and he really did design a beautiful creature for that film. I'll be interested in hearing if this will have any effect on Ridley Scott and the Prometheus sequels. RIP

Fusing the erotic, gothic and surreal Giger was an art movement unto himself. He inspired me from an early age with his fantastic dreamscapes and esoteric imagery. I was compelled to illustrate a tribute to him this week drawing imagery from his own works including Alien and the Birthing Machine at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2014/05/in-memoriam-hr-giger.html . Drop by and share how his artwork opened your own mind!